Here comes the mob

A WTO delegate is mauled by protesters at Seventh Avenue and Union as they try to prevent his access to the Washington State Convention & Trade Center on Nov. 30, 1999. (Photo by Mike Urban/Seattlepi.com file)

The WTO riots were hardly the first time Seattleites rose up to make themselves heard. These four events went down in the city’s history as times residents clashed with authorities, fellow residents or world events — for good or ill.

The Battle of Seattle, January 26, 1856.

After months of raids and clashes with federal troops in southern King County and in Thurston County, Native Americans attacked Seattle. The attackers were driven off by artillery fire and by Marines from the U.S. Navy sloop-of-war Decatur anchored in Elliott Bay. Two settlers and an unknown number of raiders perish in the all-day “Battle of Seattle.”

The Chinese Riots, February 7, 1886

Mobs led by the Knights of Labor rounded up Seattle’s Chinese-born workers and demanded that immigration cease. Two-hundred workers left the next day, but when police tried to escort home the 150 who would have to wait for the next boat, the riots began. One protester died.

The Great Strike of 1919

The first city-wide labor action to be called a general strike was a peaceful act of civil action led by union workers. It began on Feb. 6, affected all but critical services, and fizzled in a few days.

Anti-war protest, May 5, 1970

About 1,000 people closed down I-5 as they marched from the University of Washington to protest the Vietnam War after the invasion of Cambodia. On May 15, 15,000 people stormed the express lanes.

— Leonard Garfield

Learn more about Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry at seattlehistory.org. They’ll be recording people’s stories about the WTO riots next month. And if you’re a history nut, check out their new quiz nights Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays around Seattle. Thanks to Historylink for some information.